The invention disclosed relates to the retrofit market for both home and commercial use. With increasing energy costs and the high cost incurred in replacing your prime windows, the need for a long-lasting, high quality third insulating storm has become imperative.
The objective of the invention is to make a custom-built, third insulating snap-on storm panel for interior or exterior application, the design of which is easy to install (one-step process) adapts to all window casing and sill applications, adds aesthetic beauty to the home, and is designed structurally to last a lifetime.
There have been many inventions which have utilized some type of snap-on systems over the last fifteen years: Werner U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,010; Werner U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,510; Porter U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,640; and Meadows U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,790. All of the designs in those systems encompassed long, difficult installation processes which included separating the male and female member from one another, laying each track separately onto the window casing, then nailing the tracks into place, then resnapping the main frame back together with the secure male or female unit on the window casing. If the tracking system is not perfectly aligned to the dimensions of the main frame receiver, the main frame will not snap back into the tracking system correctly upon completion of the installation, causing air infiltration through the main frame, and damage to the tracking system due to misalignment.
For existing window sill applications, the Werner design U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,020 shows a vinyl adapter bar which is permanently secured into the existing window sill to create a surface to secure his tracking system onto. The bar is unsightly when the main frame is removed from the sill and also gathers dust and dirt. Werner U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,510; Porter U.S. Pat. No. 43,399,640; and Meadows U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,790 show no method for sill applications. For aesthetic beauty and protection of the retainer structure when the main frame is removed, Werner U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,020 also shows a cap which fills the retainer. However, although the cap keeps out dirt and debris, the cap provides no protection to the female retainer from ultraviolet rays from the sun. Porter, Meadows and Werner U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,510 are all without collars or covers for protecting their retainer structure when the main frame assembly is removed. This is important because exposure of the vinyl material of the retainer structure to the sun's ultraviolet rays results in accelerated degradation of the plastic vinyl material. This reduces the resiliency of that material so that it becomes more prone to cracking which requires replacing the tracking system at additional expense when it occurs.
The proceeding invention overcomes the above-mentioned shortcomings encountered by past snap-on inventions.